I posted a few days ago that I had passed my technician license. Still waiting for my call sign to post. There were a couple of suggestions for radios there, but I wanted to reach out specifically after looking at them and getting overwhelmed.

My purpose would be to get familiar with the area's repeater systems and communicate with other hams, and to learn more about the hobby. Eventually I want to get into HF, but I'll start small

I want a HT/handheld, and my requirements aren't that strict:

Dual band (2m/70cm)
Dependable (won't fry the first time it gets damp, etc.)
Wide band reception, including HF/Weather

Anything else important I'm not considering that might be important in a first radio?

This Yaesu is one I am considering (I believe it was suggested before). Any other suggestions in the same price range?

Kenwood would be my preferred brand. When I started out in Fire/EMS/Rescue long ago, I had a Kenwood TK280 that absolutely saved my life, unquestionably dependable. I was even present when another water rescue crew went in the drink during a night time rescue, and were still able to call for help on a dunked Kenwood. But I am not finding currently available radios in a reasonable price from Kenwood right now. The current Kenwoods are priced at the *holy shit* pricepoint.

I know the Chinese radios are plentiful and cheap, but I would rather start with something a little more, after years of using high-quality Kenwoods and Motorolas.

You might go to eham.com reviews and read about various models. Some of the individual reviews are idiotic, but a consensus might be valuable.

Link

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:
You might go to eham.com reviews and read about various models. Some of the individual reviews are idiotic, but a consensus might be valuable.

Link

Valuable resource! I have spent a couple of hours over there, but a problem I keep running into is I'll start liking a radio based on my parameters and reviews, and go to searching for it and find that it's discontinued. Fell in love with a darn Kenwood another forum member recommended, but can't find it anywhere.

It also doesn't help that I really don't know enough yet to know what I need, but I feel like I don't need much.

I don’t have that particular handheld but it’s highly recommended on several forums.
But being a 5W handheld it’s not going to reach out there very far. How close are you to some of the local repeaters? A mobile might be a better option if you don’t mind jumping up in price. You can operate from inside too if you get a 12V power supply. A mobile antenna on a pizza pan will likely do the trick for a base antenna you can also go mobile.

I’ve read too many stories about people being disappointed with handhelds if you’re not close to a repeater - which may not be used much anyway.

I had recommended the TH-F6a, but it does look like it has been discontinued.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
I had recommended the TH-F6a, but it does look like it has been discontinued.

For what it's worth, it was my top pick!

The replacement (TH-D72A) is almost $400. Outside my budget currently.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
I don’t have that particular handheld but it’s highly recommended on several forums.
But being a 5W handheld it’s not going to reach out there very far. How close are you to some of the local repeaters? A mobile might be a better option if you don’t mind jumping up in price. You can operate from inside too if you get a 12V power supply. A mobile antenna on a pizza pan will likely do the trick for a base antenna you can also go mobile.

I’ve read too many stories about people being disappointed with handhelds if you’re not close to a repeater - which may not be used much anyway.

I'm good on the repeater situation, lots of them that should be close enough for an HT outside (Charlotte NC area). Of course, I'll get a mobile for the Jeep eventually, but I want to start off with an HT.

quote:

Originally posted by tigereye313:
I had recommended the TH-F6a, but it does look like it has been discontinued.

.

There are a couple on eBay FWIW.

My favorite handheld is my Icom 51A. Lots of features, and I can even tether it to my Android and select repeaters from a map.
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/...51aplus/default.aspx

Wow I didn't know a Yaesu FT-60R existed. A dual band for $150-ish? I wonder if that's Japanese made. I have a FT-60 which is 2 meters only.

I'm very interested in a Fusion or DStar radio, that's an amazing leap in technology and capability.

I'm going to get one.

My advice to you is if there is a local hamfest coming up near you, go and talk to the dealers, check out all you can, see the choices.

Same advice if you have a ham radio store near you, go in person and check them out 1st hand before you buy.

De N5...

A used TH-6A is a good deal for the price. The FT-60R is a steal for a 2m/70cm hand held. I see that is really only covers the 108-999 mhz receive range in FM. This explains the low price, but for your basic purposes this is fine.

As far as DSTAR or FUSION, both a digital modes, voice and data. I've used DSTAR. Voice is so-so, but for digital data transfer it was pretty cool when I played with it.

The Kenwood TH-74A is a nice handled. It's really a tri-band transmit / multi-mode & multi-band receive radio. Hence the cost, which considering what it can do is not horrible.

Congrats on the ticket! General class is only another 35 questions and is pretty quick to learn and pass. Extra, he top license class is a bit tougher, based on my experiences as a VE (Volunteer Examiner).

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Wow I didn't know a Yaesu FT-60R existed. A dual band for $150-ish? I wonder if that's Japanese made. I have a FT-60 which is 2 meters only.

I'm very interested in a Fusion or DStar radio, that's an amazing leap in technology and capability.

I'm going to get one.

My advice to you is if there is a local hamfest coming up near you, go and talk to the dealers, check out all you can, see the choices.

Same advice if you have a ham radio store near you, go in person and check them out 1st hand before you buy.

De N5...

A guy in my club bought a Fusion repeater and the club let him put it in line in place of our 2 meter repeater. And I'm glad we gave it back after a couple weeks. He and a couple more talked digital and I couldn't hardly understand them it changed their voices.

Dayton Hamvention is coming up. Grab a buddy or two and make the quest to Mecca. I've not had a license for quite a few years but that was the grand-daddy of hamfests. Always had a great time. Lots of deals. Manufacturers and large vendors set up so you can hold all the models and get all your questions answered.

I use my Yaesu FT-60 everyday. I have dropped it on the cement several times and it keeps ticking. I really like it. I couldn’t say whether it’s waterproof but I can tell you I had a Yaesu VX-7R I took on a rafting trip. I kept it in a Pelican case along with my IPhone, a handgun, wallet etc. The Pelican case turned out to be everything but waterproof. It had 4” of water in it when I discovered it’s the cases fondness for drinking water. My iPhone was ruined but my Yaesu kept working soaking wet. It’s also been a great little radio even in water. It has the ability to tx and rx on 6m. It’s a quad band although I’ve never been able to hear anyone on the 6m. If you’re near a 6m repeater then it would be a nice feature. I’ve had a couple of Kenwood 5w handhelds and they were excellent, last being a TH series. I also couldn’t vouch for waterproof.

whats a good web site that could tell you what kind of antenna a guy would use , for what kind of receiver?

maybe its not the receiver , maybe its a band width thing

WOW HT prices have come down from years ago when I bought mine. If I was going to buy new I would probably get the Yaesu FT-60R. From reading reviews the FT-65R seems a step down including less features. I just ordered a battery from Ebay for my old Alinco DG-G5 that still works like a champ and has dual frequency display.

You can do well with close by repeaters with an HT as is but you will extend your range dramatically with a roof mounted (or even in the attic) vertical antenna, the cable to connect to it, and an adapter to connect to the HT. Basic dual band mobiles are really inexpensive these days too if you want to extend your range further with typically about 50 watts. A small 12 volt power supply per specs of the unit and you will be in business from a base station.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
whats a good web site that could tell you what kind of antenna a guy would use , for what kind of receiver?

maybe its not the receiver , maybe its a band width thing

It’s a band thing mostly and it can be a tough question to answer. What bands are you interested in?

If 2m / 440 dual band it’s easier to answer.

If you’re asking about HF bands covering 10m to 160 m it’s tougher to answer.

You will need to be able to answer these questions regardless of which website you go to.

If you are interested in HF the next question is how much room do you have for either a vertical or horizontal antenna. In other words will it go in your attic or do have an acre or 3.

This doesn’t answer your question, but if you’re not familiar with QRZ.com I’ll recommend it as a really good resource. The technical forums are very helpful.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
whats a good web site that could tell you what kind of antenna a guy would use , for what kind of receiver?

maybe its not the receiver , maybe its a band width thing

This might be of help as it shows makes and models with frequency coverage. These are all general purose omidirectional I believe. Directional antennas like s yagi beam antenna can be rotated toward signal source for much better gain and are often used by ham radio operators for longer distance communications.

https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/scanants.html

http://radio-scanner-guide.com...anneraccessories.htm

thanks folks , gotta do the research